Open Rtn - Split overnight in London

[Metal_gee_man]

I intent to use an Off Peak Open Return from Canterbury East to Pitsea, no hassle on the outboard journey on the 4th June.

The return will involve me coming back into London Fenchurch Street on 5th June, stay overnight and return home via London Victoria on the 6th June.

I fear I could encounter a guard on C2C who'll mark the ticket with a date and make it invalid as I try and return home on SE on the 6th. Obviously a ticket barrier won't make the ticket invalid in that it won't mark it with a date but it could stop the magnetic stripe from letting me through the barriers the next day at Victoria.

I assume it allows for BOJ as it only has code 4A on the ticket, but does it allow for date BOJ or only same day BOJ

 

[JonathanH]

I fear I could encounter a guard on C2C who'll mark the ticket with a date and make it invalid as I try and return home on SE on the 6th.

That is very unlikely as there are no guards on c2c. Revenue Protection Inspectors tend not to mark tickets.

The issue is more likely to be the fact that you will have had to use the ticket gates but in my experience it is unusual for passengers not to be let through manually at large stations with ticket gates with a valid ticket.

I assume it allows for BOJ as it only has code 4A on the ticket, but does it allow for date BOJ or only same day BOJ

No period returns are specifically issued on the premise that only same day break of journey is allowed.

However, overnight on longer breaks of journey does seem to be something that people inspecting tickets are trained to be suspicious about.

 

[Metal_gee_man]

The issue is more likely to be the fact that you will have had to use the ticket gates

As per normal you try it in the barrier at Victoria find it won't take it, you wave it at a member of staff stood on the barrier they let you through and no one is anymore the wiser, a guard checks the ticket on SE and they've got no reason to suspect otherwise that you started using it that day.

That is very unlikely as there are no guards on c2c. Revenue Protection Inspectors tend not to mark tickets.

That fills me with a bit of joy then. You've put my mind at rest there! Thanks

 

[miklcct]

However, overnight on longer breaks of journey does seem to be something that people inspecting tickets are trained to be suspicious about.

What makes it suspicious to have overnight breaks of journey? For a longer leisure trip it's a usual occurrence, like what I did Easter this year to have two legitimate overnight breaks of journey on the return portion of a Cardiff - Trowbridge ticket, at Newport and Bristol.

To take the matter into the extreme, I actually believe that the intended use of a Weymouth - Margate period return via Barnham is to do a long coastal trip along the South Coast, possibly discarding the outward portion!